


Other Side of the World

by frenzyril



Category: Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-03
Updated: 2013-12-08
Packaged: 2017-11-28 03:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/669633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frenzyril/pseuds/frenzyril
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Is it possible for two strangers to fall in love when the two are thousand miles apart from one another?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Vacation in Paris

“Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking. We have now arrived in Charles de Gaulle Airport. Passengers are advised to remain seated with the emergency seatbelt completely fastened until the aircraft has been completely embarked.”

 

“Aiden, wake up. We have arrived in France.” A beautiful black-haired lady, who seems to be in her mid 20’s, taps the sleeping man beside her. Instead of waking up, Aiden removes the lady’s hands on him.

 

“Aiden, if you don’t wake up right this instant, I’m going to-,” But before she could finish her sentence, Aiden’s eyes widen, it seems like he is afraid of the lady’s plan.

 

“Hey Jenica, I’m wide awake now. You don’t have to do that.” Aiden laughs nervously and Jenica, the beautiful lady that has been described before, rolls her eyes.

 

“... The time difference between Paris and Houston is 7 hours. The time now is 03:38 in the morning. The temperature outside is 4 degrees Celsius.” The voice of the captain can be heard as the atmosphere between the two becomes awkward. “And in behalf of American Airlines, we express our gratitude to all our valued passengers. Have a nice stay in Paris.”

 

“It has been a long flight, hasn’t it?” Jenica asks while reorganizing her bag. Aiden nods his head in agreement while stretching his arms.

 

After a few minutes, the door of the aircraft opens and the passengers fall in line, except for Jenica and Aiden.

 

“Oh my god!” Jenica exclaims while rummaging her bag.

 

“What is it this time?” Aiden rolls his eyes.

 

“I forgot my phone!” Jenica, which is in panic state, says. “My mom told me that I should call her as soon as possible. Now I’m doomed!”

 

Aiden gets his phone inside his backpack and hands it over to Jenica. “Here, use this while we’re here in France. Don’t worry, I have an extra.”

 

Jenica guffaws while batting her eyelashes. “Ain’t you a sweet little fish?”

 

“Yes Jenica, that’s how much I love you.” Aiden shows his famous smile.

 

“And I hate you too, Aiden.” Jenica replies a sarcastic remark. Jenica gets irritated when Aiden says those 3 words to her. “You know, I don’t have any feelings for you. You’re just my best friend. Nothing more, nothing less. Understand?”

 

Aiden pouts when he hears her reply. Well for him, it’s not a big deal anymore. He always gets rejected by her. “Why? I’m hot, rich, handsome and-,”

 

“And childish. I don’t know Aiden. I can see that you are handsome and hot, but...” Jenica stops for a while to think for better words to tell.

 

“But what?”

 

“But you’re not my type. Sorry.” Jenica grins at her best friend. “As I have told you, my dream guy is an Asian guy, and not an Asian-looking American guy like you. Oh yeah, I have to ask you about that. Why do you look like an Asian guy instead of an American guy? Do you have any Asian genes that flow through your veins?”

 

Aiden thinks deeply for a little while. “I have none. But I looked a lot like my father, right?”

 

“Yes, you are. You have black eyes and sort of a black hair.” Jenica stares deeply into Aiden’s eyes. “Well anyway, it seems that we can get out of the aircraft now. Let’s go! Oh gosh, I’m so excited to see this beautiful city!”

 

Aiden chuckles at his best friend’s childishness.

 

When they make their way out through the immigration, Jenica immediately rushes to the Hotel transportation services, while Aiden gets their luggage in the baggage claim area.

 

“Parlez vous Anglais?” Jenica asks the man in charge in the booth while Aiden, who just got there with their baggage, is just staring at his best friend. He didn’t know that his best friend could speak French.

 

“Yes, I can. So, in what hotel are you staying?” The man in the booth asks.

 

“In Park Hyatt Hotel,” Jenica answers and the man nods his head, “thank you.”

 

When their transport service comes, they immediately goes inside it and let the driver load their baggage inside the van.

 

“Hey Jenica, I didn’t know that you can speak French! I’m so impressed!” Aiden says to Jenica, trying to flatter the latter.

 

“Well actually, that’s the only French words I know.” Jenica says while laughing.

 

When they have arrived at the hotel, they immediately goes to inside to get their card keys. They checked in two different rooms for privacy purposes, as Aiden stated before they went there.

 

“Hey Aiden, try to wake up as soon as possible so that we can stroll longer, okay? And by the way, I have problems with your phone, so I’ve decided to buy one when I wake up.” Jenica returns Aiden phone and immediately goes to her room.

 

Aiden places his backpack on the floor and glances over the window to see the beautiful lights of Paris. Aiden heaves a sigh and silently thanking his creator for this break.

 

Aiden is working as a Model in New York. He gets barely any sleep whenever he has work. So when his manager gave him a month vacation, he didn’t hesitate to go back to his hometown, Kingwood, Houston.

 

Aiden was born and raised in Kingwood, Houston, Texas by his beloved parents. Living in a prominent family, Aiden gets what he wants. Even though he was born with a silver spoon on his mouth, Aiden was taught by his parents to be humble.

 

Aiden finished his degree in Performing Arts in Julliard School. Even though he really wanted to become an actor, he knew that it is very hard to become one. So he has decided to enter the modeling industry first and make it as a stepping stone.

 

He met Jenica when the family of the latter moves near his family’s household. Jenica is a very vocal girl when Aiden met her. She was always talking and talking about something. But even though she was like that, she has a golden heart.

 

Jenica was known to be an Asian addict. She had a room in their house that is full of different Asian goodies and most of them are Korean goodies.

 

“Hmmm, what’s that?” Aiden notices a sheet of paper with some Asian calligraphy written on it, which he couldn’t identify whether Chinese, Japanese or Korean, that is placed under the table. “Why didn’t the staff throw this? And what in the world is written on here?”

 

Aiden thinks of throwing the paper in the bin, but he has decided not to do so. He didn’t throw it because the characters written on the paper seems to catch his interest. So, he folds it neatly and places it inside a folder in his bag.

 

Aiden lays himself in the bed and covers himself with a thick comforter. And slowly, he has fallen asleep.


	2. The Lost Page of the Manuscript

“She held her boyfriend’s hand and stared at his eyes.” A man sitting on the couch says while reading the last line of the paragraph in a paper. “Don’t you think it’s kind of a bit dull?”

 

“I don’t know, Sungmin hyung. My brain won’t function anymore.” Another man says as he hears the complaint of the other. He is so tired to revise. He had been writing for 12 hours without any break last night.

 

“Well then, let’s take a stroll, Hyukjae.” Sungmin says as his eyes reflect his excitement. They’ve been in Paris for 3 weeks and all they have got to do is work, work and work. Sungmin looks at the time on his watch. “It’s only 8:00pm. We can stroll for about 3 to 4 hours. I’m sure that’s enough time for us to stroll, right?”

 

Hyukjae nods his head. He likes the idea of taking a break and then he prepares himself to go outside.

 

“Hyung, don’t forget your jacket. It’s cold outside. You don’t want to get frostbite, do you?” Hyukjae has this habit of over worrying about his love ones.

 

“Okay, let’s go, shall we?” Sungmin says as he wears his fur coat he bought in Australia. Hyukjae has just finished buttoning his red trench coat. But before they leave the room, Hyukjae gets his camera in his bag.

 

After leaving their room, Hyukjae excitedly runs towards the elevator. Sungmin rolls his eyes at his coworker’s childishness.

 

“Come on, hyung! Let’s not waste our time here!” Hyukjae presses the button for god knows how many times. When the elevator door opens, Hyukjae runs inside while Sungmin takes his time walking.

 

“So, where do you want to go first?” Sungmin asks while admiring his own reflection in the mirror attached in the elevator.

 

“Let’s go buy souvenirs! I want to buy Eunhye some I heart Paris shirts.” Hyukjae says as he imagines Eunhye wearing the shirt he will be giving her. Sungmin just nods his head in agreement.

 

They roam around in the different streets in Paris. They swear that Paris is way more beautiful than Seoul. They have seen different races and nationalities roaming around the city. There are so many people there and most of them are tourists just like him and Sungmin.

 

“Hyukjae, look!” Sungmin points at the world’s famous tower. Sungmin admires the beauty of the Eiffel Tower. The lights that illuminate from the famous tower add a dramatic effect on the fountain in front of the tower. “It’s so beautiful. Come on Hyuk, take a picture of me.”

 

Hyukjae removes the lens cover of his camera and takes a good snapshot of Sungmin. Hyukjae smiles as he sees the preview. Sungmin’s skin matches the background. It’s perfect.

 

Sungmin gets the camera from Hyukjae and takes some picture of the tower itself.

 

After their picture taking session, Hyukjae’s stomach growls and Sungmin has to laugh at that but Hyukjae glares at him.

 

“I think I’ve found some interesting restaurant nearby.” Sungmin says while suppressing his laughter.

 

They go to the restaurant that Sungmin suggested, and they bloat themselves with food. Sungmin looks at his watch to check the time. When he sees that they have had fun enough, Sungmin suggests going back to the hotel.

 

On their way home, Hyukjae’s phone rings and Hyukjae answers the phone.

 

“Hyukjae! I need the two of you here as soon as possible!” Before Hyukjae could respond, the other line ends the call. “What the-,”

 

“Hyung, Leeteuk hyung wants us to be in Korea as soon as possible.” Hyukjae says. Sungmin scratches his head in disappointment.

 

“Why? We still have 3 more weeks here. Aish! They should have a better reason for sending us back home.” Sungmin says as he grits his teeth. He is mad and disappointed because he hasn’t gone to the places he wanted to go.

 

“Hyung, it’s a good thing that you have invited me to roam around the city, or else we won’t be having any fun at all.” Hyukjae pouts.

 

When they have got back to the hotel, Hyukjae immediately opens his laptop to make a flight reservation to Korea.

 

“Hyung! I have good news and bad news.” Hyukjae says. “So, which do you want to know first?”

 

“I want to hear the good news first.” Sungmin, who is currently packing his baggage, says.

 

“The good news is, I’ve found a vacant flight.” Hyukjae says with a sly smile. “While the bad news is, the flight is tomorrow morning at 4.”

 

“WHAT?! 4am? No way! Look for another one!” Sungmin says while panicking. “If we choose that flight, we have to leave this place in an hour!”

 

“But hyung, the next available flight would be next week! And I don’t think Leeteuk hyung will be happy about that.” Hyukjae says. Sungmin sighs in defeat.

 

“I guess we don’t have any choice then. Okay, pack your things, now.” Sungmin says. Hyukjae choose that flight and starts to pack his things too.

 

After packing for an hour or two, they have finally got their things packed. Hyukjae carries all the pieces of papers on top of the table. When he is about to place the papers in his bag, Sungmin screams which causes Hyukjae to throw the pieces of papers on his hands.

 

“HYUNG!!” Hyukjae shouts as he collects the paper and stacks them in his bag.

 

“Hyuk! Faster! We need to leave now or else we will be missing our flight!” Sungmin helps Hyukjae to collect the paper.

 

They quickly leave the room without even checking if they have forgotten something. They checked out in the hotel at 12:45am. Sungmin thought that it’s enough time for them to catch their flight. The only problem now is transportation. They have waited outside the hotel for a taxi. Luckily, Park Hyatt Hotel is a 5-star hotel which provides their costumer a free ride to the airport.

 

Hyukjae gets the papers inside his bag and arranges them in order. The papers contain his draft in writing his stories.

 

“378, 379, 380...” Hyukjae’s eyes widen in horror. “H-hyung!”

 

“No way, Hyukkie! No way! There’s no way you’ve forgotten a single page in that hotel!” Sungmin’s eyes also widen when Hyukjae doesn’t say a thing. Sungmin palms his face. They can’t go back to the hotel to retrieve that single page because they will be missing their flight.

 

“Hyung, what will I do? I’ll surely miss my deadline.” Hyukjae says as a tear rolls down on his eye. “And the worst part is, I forgot to buy Eunhye a shirt.”


	3. Home At Last

“I see,” the man in front of them, Sungmin and Hyukjae, starts to speak after hearing the story* from the two. Perhaps, hearing the story from the two persons in front of him doesn’t make him happy. Sure, he can understand that the two went straight into his office from the airport, but that doesn’t mean he will let his employee off the hook, just like that. “But, it is not an acceptable excuse for you to lose the last page of your very first novel, Hyukjae.”

 

Sungmin, being Hyukjae’s adviser for all of his stories, just prays silently for Hyukjae’s job. Their boss has not been blessed with great amount of patience. He really hates it when his employees fail to submit during deadline. And nobody dares to make him mad because, hell, blood will be shed in the room. Well, not really.

 

“I’m really sorry, sir Kangin.” Hyukjae can’t think of a better way to apologize so he just delivers his apology as simple as that. “Sir, please give me an extension. I will rewrite it again.”

 

“No.” Kangin says plainly while skimming through Hyukjae’s manuscript. He is so busy in checking Hyukjae’s manuscript, failing to see the disappointed look on Hyukjae’s face. Hyukjae’s hopes and dreams will be ruined. All of his hard work will be wasted because of that stupid page.

 

Hyukjae clenches his fist trying to vent his anger by the force on his hands. Sungmin becomes worried because he rarely seen Hyukjae acts like that.

 

“But si-,” Sungmin tries to defend his coworker but their boss cuts him off.

 

“Hey, why is your face like that, Hyukjae?” Kangin says as he finally notices Hyukjae’s facial expression. He places the manuscript on the table and gives Hyukjae a concerned look.

 

“Sir, please don’t fire me.” Hyukjae begs for his mercy. His tears are on the verge of falling down on his single lidded eyes. He can’t lose his job. His family needs his support. If he loses his job, he won’t be able to give the best things for Eunhye.

 

Kangin laughs softly. “I won’t fire you, silly.” Sungmin and Hyukjae have a confused look on their face.

 

“R-really?” Hyukjae’s mood has enlightened and he jumps in bliss. For some moment, he thinks that a big burden has been lifted on his heart.

 

“Yeah. Actually, you don’t have to rewrite the lost page again. This is good as it is.” Kangin smiles at the two personages in front of him. “In fact, I’m a bit thankful that you have lost the last page.”

 

“What do you mean by that, sir?” Sungmin asks in curiosity.

 

“Well, see it for yourself, Sungmin.” Kangin beams a grin at him. Sungmin gets the paper and tries to read the last page. Well technically, the second to the last page, but since the last page has been lost, then, it makes it the last page.

 

After reading the last page, Sungmin smiles at Hyukjae. He has found out that the story can stand alone even without the lost page.

 

“So, I think we have no other matters to discuss,” Kangin says “you may now leave my office.”

 

Sungmin and Hyukjae beam a flashy grin, especially the latter.

 

“Oh and Hyukjae,” Hyukjae is about to reach for the door when Kangin says something “please don’t make another mistake like this, okay?”

 

“I won’t sir. I won’t.” Hyukjae says and gives his boss a formal bow before he leaves the office together with Sungmin.

 

“Man that was close!” Sungmin exclaims as soon as they have closed the door of the office. “You’re really a lucky guy, Hyukjae. I can’t believe that we’ve got through that mess!”

 

“Yeah, me too. I thought I would be fired, but thank god, I wasn’t.” Hyukjae says and then he remembers something. He fishes out his cell phone and makes a call.

 

“Hello, baby?... Yes... I can’t wait to see you... Yes... Yeah... I love you... Bye...” Hyukjae ends the call with a smile and Sungmin just stares at him with curiosity.

 

“Eunhye?” Sungmin asks. Well, even he doesn’t ask, he has already known it. Hyukjae nods his head.

 

When they get outside the building, Hyukjae stretches his arms and yawns.

 

“Man, I’m beat! I can’t believe that we went here straight from the airport.” Hyukjae says and Sungmin let out a small sigh.

 

“Well, that’s how our life goes. Leeteuk hyung owes us a lot this time.” Sungmin says as the two walks towards the car park. “I mean, how could he forget that today is the deadline? That’s so silly.”

 

When they have reached car park, they can easily tell where the car is. Sungmin’s car is a C30 Volvo model. Though there are some cars like Sungmin’s, his car is coated in pink. Hyukjae gets inside and buckles his seatbelt. They immediately left the building as soon as Sungmin starts the engine.

 

Some chit chats about work and personal life are the main topics of their conversation during their drive way home. Sungmin’s house is just a few blocks away from Hyukjae, so Sungmin always insists to bring Hyukjae home safely.

 

As they have reached Hyukjae’s neighborhood, Sungmin parked his car in front of Hyukjae’s house.

 

“So, I’ll see you again tomorrow, Hyuk. Don’t forget about the seminar that we have to attend the day after tomorrow.” Sungmin says while looking at Hyukjae gets out from his car. “And by the way, you have to start writing for a new story. Don’t forget about that.”

 

“Yes, I won’t. Thank you so much for giving me a ride. Take care on your way home.” Hyukjae waves at Sungmin and Sungmin drives home.

 

Hyukjae presses the doorbell twice and waits for a person to open the door. He really misses this place. The 3 weeks he has spent in Paris won’t make him forget the feeling of his home.

 

The door has opened so he carries his bag and enters the house. You can say that Hyukjae’s house is small. The decors are plain and simple. But the simplicity doesn’t make a house feels uncomfortable. The comfort lies on the persons living in that house.

 

“I’m home!” Hyukjae exclaims as the people inside the house start to gather in the living room. His parents are smiling at Hyukjae. They are really worried for their son’s safety when Hyukjae is in France. Hyukjae hugs his parents and gives them some kiss. “I miss you, mom and dad.”

 

“We miss you too, Hyukkie.” His father says and smiles. “But I think, Eunhye misses you the most.”

 

“Eunhye!” Hyukjae hugs and kisses his beloved Eunhye. During his stay in Paris, he couldn’t think of any other people except for this particular person. Eunhye is his treasure. “I miss you so much, baby!”

 

“I miss you too, daddy!”


	4. Jeju Island Part A

Hyukjae carried his 7-year old daughter and hugged her sweetly. He really missed her. When he and Sungmin were in Paris, all could he ever think of was his daughter.

 

“Daddy, where’s my present?” Eunhye asked sweetly. Hyukjae scratched his nape because he forgot to buy Eunhye some souvenirs. Hyukjae gave off a sheepish smile to his daughter, and because of that, Eunhye’s sweet smile turned into frown. Her eyes were now brimming with tears.

 

“Now, don’t cry, baby.” Hyukjae swayed his daughter. “We will go to the amusement park tomorrow. Is that okay with you?”

 

“Really?” Eunhye’s eyes had filled with excitement and glee. Hyukjae nodded his head. He wanted to do this to, to have some daughter and father moment. Eunhye was not always in his house, so he will grab this chance to have fun with his only daughter.

 

“Yes, baby!” Eunhye kissed her father’s cheek and cheered hurray. “Now, where do you want to go? Everland? Lotte World?”

 

“I want to go to the Teddy Bear Museum, daddy!” Hyukjae had to widen his eyes on that. Teddy bear museum was way too far from his house. It was located in Jeju Island, and they were in Seoul. The travel fare and hotel package was expensive too. Sure, he was able to step his feet on the grounds of Paris, but all of the travel expenses were made by the company. And besides, Hyukjae had a seminar to attend to, the day after tomorrow.

 

“But, daddy has to go to work on Monday.” Hyukjae reasoned out fast. He can’t miss that seminar because it was a very important event according to Sungmin. “But, we can go on Tuesday. Is that okay with you?”

 

Eunhye nodded cheerfully. Eunhye wouldn’t mind that she would have to wait for two more days as long as she could land her feet on the Teddy Bear Museum. It was her everyday wish. All of her classmates have been gone there, and she was the only one who hadn’t.

 

Eunhye went to where her grandparents at and bragged to them that she was going to Jeju Island together with his daddy. Hyukjae’s parents were also happy to hear that news.

 

“It’s time for bed now, Eunhye.” Hyukjae stated as he looked at the time. Eunhye went back to him and tugged his shirt. Eunhye made a puppy face implying that she wanted something from her daddy.

 

“Daddy, can I sleep in your room? I feel lonely in my room.” Eunhye said in a pleading voice. Hyukjae, who had a soft heart for kids, quickly agreed to his daughter’s wish. He thought that it was also a good time for their bonding moment.

 

Eunhye kissed her grandparents and said goodnight to them. Hyukjae also did the same. They went to Hyukjae’s room and closed the door. Eunhye ran towards the bed and tap the side of the bed where Hyukjae will sleep.

 

Hyukjae lied on the bed beside his daughter and kissed her goodnight.

 

\------

 

Hyukjae felt a tap on his legs. He just ignored it at first but the contact became more intense.

 

“Daddy! Wake up! We still have to prepare our things!” Eunhye, who was tapping her father countless of times, said in a very cheerful tone.

 

Hyukjae woke up when he heard his daughter’s sweet voice. If only god would allow, he wanted to wake up like this every morning. He wanted Eunhye, his only daughter, to spend more time with him.

 

“Daddy! Come on! Get up now.” Eunhye said. She was very excited for this trip, because this will be her first time to board in an airplane.

 

Hyukjae stretched his arms and yawned. He smiled at his daughter and sat on the bed. ‘Whoa, is it time already? I can’t believe that today is Tuesday.’ He thought.

 

It’s true, it was Tuesday. Time passed by so quickly. During the past weekend, Hyukjae made himself busy by attending the seminar and thinking for a plot for his new project.

 

“Okay, daddy is now awake,” Hyukjae said “so, where’s my good morning kiss?”

 

Eunhye grinned and ran towards her father, who had his arms wide open. When she was on her father’s grasps, she gave a smooch to her father on the cheek and giggled.

 

“Good morning, daddy!”

 

“Good morning, my precious Eunhye!” Hyukjae replied to his daughter.

 

They proceed to pack the things that they needed for this 3-day trip to Jeju Island. They packed only the most necessary things such as, toiletries and clothes. But of course, a trip was not a trip without a camera.

 

Hyukjae’s phone rang while the owner was taking a bath. “Daddy! Your phone is ringing!” Hyukjae didn’t seem to hear his daughter, so Eunhye decided to pick up the call for him.

 

“Hello, this is Eunhye speaking.”

 

_“Oh, hello Eunhye! This is your uncle Sungmin, may I talk to your daddy?”_

 

“Oh, he is taking a bath at the moment.”

 

_“Ahh, okay, I’ll just call a bit later.”_

 

“Eunhye, who are you calling?” Hyukjae said as he appeared in the room. He was done taking a bath.

 

“Oh, it’s uncle Sungmin.” Eunhye said and then she gave the phone to her father.

 

“Hello, Sungmin?”

 

_“Oh, hi Hyuk. Eunhye is so cute, right?” Sungmin giggled at the end of the line._

 

“Yes, she is.” Hyukjae smiled as he looked at his daughter. “So, are all the preparations done?”

 

_“Yes. I made a booking for the two of you, in a cheap yet good hotel.”_

 

“Thank you very much, Sungmin! I will pay you when I get my paycheck.” Hyukjae said.

 

 _“It’s nothing much, Hyukjae. Oh, I have to go now, bye.”_ Sungmin hanged the phone without waiting for the reply of Hyukjae. He was sure a busy person. But Hyukjae was so thankful because he had a friend like Sungmin.

 

...

 

The flight bound to Jeju Island was faster than expected. All of the passengers of the aircraft of Korean Air began to unload one by one. The weather was a bit better than of Seoul. The temperature on this island was warmer but the humidity was higher.

 

Hyukjae carefully removed the thick fur coat that wrapped his daughter’s body. After carefully removing the thick clothing, he woke his daughter up.

 

“It’s time to wake up now, baby.” Hyukjae said while caressing his daughter’s forehead. He was successful on waking his daughter up. However, Eunhye was too lazy to walk on her own so Hyukjae had no choice but to carry her, though he didn’t mind carrying her all day long.

 

Hyukjae, together with Eunhye, had successfully made their way out through the airport. They waited for the bus to pick them up. And after waiting for approximately 10 minutes, the bus that they had been waiting for, arrived in front of them. They hopped inside the bus and made themselves comfortable.

 

“Eunhye,” Hyukjae started, “are you still sleepy? You can rest your head here on my lap.” The sweet little girl followed the advice of her father. She rested her head on Hyukjae’s lap and she slowly went to sleep.

 

After some time, the bus reached Hyukjae’s destination. The hotel looked fancy, but Sungmin said that the price was very reasonable. Hyukjae noted to himself that he will definitely buy something for Sungmin.

 

Eunhye became shy when she saw some foreigners entering and leaving the hotel. She tightened her grip on her father’s hand, and Hyukjae understood right away. He carried his daughter with his right arm while the other arm was dragging their luggage all the way inside the hotel. Surprisingly, even though he had a petite body, he was able to carry his daughter and at the same time, drag their luggage in their room.

 

“Wow! Our room is so beautiful, daddy!” Eunhye beamed in bliss.

 

Hyukjae had to agree with that. The room was indeed beautiful. It had a balcony so that the visitor’s might see the sunrise when the morning came.

 

“Daddy, I’m hungry.” Eunhye pouted at her father. The long travel seemed to exhaust her.

 

“Alright, let’s eat at the restaurant.” Hyukjae said as he prepared his wallet. “So, what do you want to eat?”

 

Eunhye paused for a while to think. She had so many foods she wanted to eat, but the most appetizing food that she could think of was seafood.

 

“Daddy, I want to eat seafoods.” Eunhye said bluntly. She was always a straight-forward person when it came to food. Hyukjae, on the other hand, seemed to sweat a lot. Sure, lobsters and seafood were extremely appetizing and popular dish in Jeju, but the price was beyond his budget.

 

He wanted to refuse his daughter’s request but the puppy eyes the she made, made him change his decision. Hyukjae sighed and nodded at his daughter.

 

They went to the mall nearby the hotel that they were staying. A particular restaurant caught Hyukjae’s attention.

 

The restaurant looked really expensive, that even his credit cards wouldn’t cover the charges. Hyukjae mentally noted that they should avoid that restaurant, but it was too late! Eunhye was on her way towards that expensive restaurant.

 

Hyukjae followed his daughter while mentally praying that she wasn’t heading towards that lavish restaurant. But unfortunately for him, Eunhye stopped in front of that restaurant and she looked at the sign board.

 

“Daddy!” Eunhye said in glee. She was so happy that she could finally eat her favorite scallops and crabs. “I think they sell seafood here. Let’s eat here!”

 

Hyukjae’s dreams were beginning to ruin. The money that he was intending to save for his daughter’s college will be turned into nothing. _Oh man, this is hard._

 

They entered the restaurant and much to Eunhye’s dismay, the queue was long.

 

 **“Oh man! I can’t wait any longer,”** a beautiful black-haired lady, who was also waiting for her turn, exclaimed to her companion, **“come on Aiden, let’s eat somewhere else!”**

 

Eunhye looked at the lady because the words that this lady was uttering were so new to her ears.

 

“Daddy, what was she saying? Why can’t I understand her? It seems like she was an alien or something.” The Koreans and some people who could understand Korean language, who were also waiting in the long queue, chuckled at the child’s choice of words.

 

Hyukjae shushed her daughter because it was becoming more embarrassing since the person involve was weirdly looking at them.

 

 **“Oh hello there, aren’t you a cute little girl?”** The lady smiled at Eunhye.

 

“You’re funny.” Eunhye laughed at the lady beside her. Hyukjae, who was getting more embarrassed, covered the mouth of his daughter.

 

 **“Oh I’m Sorry. My daughter, Eunhye,”** Hyukjae spoke in pure English, and the Koreans who were at the long queue gasped in surprised. It’s rare to for them to hear a Korean speaking in English language without difficulties “had been a bad girl.”

 

But unfortunately for Hyukjae, his English words were limited so he uttered the last part of his sentence in Korean. The Koreans slightly laughed at Hyukjae.

 

 **“Oh, it’s alright. Your daughter is so beautiful.”** The lady said while smiling brightly at Eunhye. **“What’s your name little girl? My name is Jenica.”**

 

 **“Her name is Eunhye.”** Hyukjae answered for his daughter since he could, somehow, understand Jenica’s question.

 

“Eunhye.” Jenica said with having some difficulties in pronouncing ‘Eunhye’.

 

 **“Hey Aiden! Look at this cute little girl!”** Jenica said to the person who was sitting beside her. Aiden looked at the girl and flashed a grin.

 

“You’re funny, Ajussi.” Eunhye laughed at Aiden. “You look like a fish.”

 

Hyukjae glared at his daughter and Eunhye finally stopped laughing when she received the glare. She even muttered a small ‘sorry’. Eunhye’s stomach growled.

 

 **“I think we’re heading first.”** Hyukjae said while convincing Eunhye to eat somewhere else. Jenica and Aiden smiled at them.

 

“Annyeonghi gashipshio.” Jenica said goodbye in Korean language and Hyukjae got a little surprised that she could speak a little Korean.

 

“Annyeonghi gyeshipshio.” Hyukjae replied.


	5. Jeju Island Part B

The other restaurant that they had decided to eat was not bad at all. The price was less expensive than the previous restaurant and the foods were good enough in exchange for his ₩50,000.

 

“Daddy,” Eunhye started “when are we going to the teddy bear museum? I want to go there now.” Eunhye finished her statement with a cute pout.

 

Hyukjae smiled widely at his daughter. No one can resist a child’s pout; especially Eunhye was blessed to have very beautiful lips, just like her father.

 

“Do you want to go there now?” Hyukjae asked. Eunhye immediately nodded her head. “Okay, I’ll buy the tickets now.”

 

Eunhye jumped in her excitement and gave her daddy a big hug. “Yay! I love you so much, Daddy!”

 

Luckily, the museum was near from their place; about 200 meters. Hyukjae tried to grab his daughter’s hand but Eunhye wanted to walk by her own.

 

“Daddy, I’m a big girl now. I can walk on my own.” Eunhye flashed a grin on her face. And with the confidence that portrayed on her facial expression, Hyukjae gave up on insisting.

 

From time to time, Hyukjae will take a glance on his daughter, while Eunhye was just swinging her arms back and forth.

 

The queue of the ticketing booth was not that long when they’ve arrived. Hyukjae followed the last person in the line, while Eunhye played on her own near her father – running around in circles and stuffs.

 

While playing, because of dizziness, Eunhye fell into the ground. Hyukjae, who was watching his daughter play, widened his eyes. He was about to go to his daughter, but suddenly, his daughter started laughing. ‘Ahh, my daughter is stronger now. She has grown up so fast.’ Hyukjae thought with a big smile plastered on his face. Not until his phone rings. He immediately accepted the call.

 

Eunhye, on the other hand, stood up and dusted her clothes. Then something caught her eye; free balloons. Eunhye looked at her father to ask for permission, but her father was talking someone on the phone. She sighed and she went to get some free balloons.

 

“Sir, can I have that dog over there?” Eunhye asked for the balloon that was formed into a shape of a dog. The man smiled at this cute little kid and gave her the blue dog balloon.

 

Eunhye smiled happily not until she noticed a very familiar figure walking towards the opposite direction of where her father was. She followed the familiar person.

 

“Mommy!” Eunhye shouted while running, chasing the familiar person. But the woman didn’t stop walking, but instead, she walked faster. Eunhye tried to chase her but the woman was so far away now. So she just stopped chasing her and cried.

 

When she stopped crying, she inspected her surroundings. She noticed that she was far from the museum. She started crying. The people who were walking saw Eunhye crying. Some of them just continued walking while some of them approached the poor lost little kid. The people who approached Eunhye offered their help. But being an obedient child, she just ignored them since his father always reminded her not to talk to strangers.

 

“Daddy…” Eunhye continued on crying while mentioning her daddy.

 

“ **Eunhye?** ” A familiar voice caught Eunhye’s attention. He looked at the person and she stopped crying. She hugged the owner of the voice. “ **What’s wrong?** ”

 

“Daddy… I can’t find my daddy…” Eunhye tightened her hug to the person. “Can you help me find my daddy? He was in the Teddy Bear Museum but I don’t know where it is.”

 

 **“Hey Jenica, what’s going on over there?”** Another voice came out.

 

 **“Come here Aiden. I think she is lost or something.”** Jenica said while rubbing her hands against Eunhye’s back. **“I can’t understand her. Argh. It sucks!”**

 

 **“Let’s just accompany her for a while, Jenica.”** Aiden said. He smiled at the beautiful little kid and Eunhye felt secured on that smile. Aiden carried Eunhye. **“Well help you, okay. Don’t worry.”**

 

And it seemed that luck was on Eunhye’s side since Jenica and Aiden were going to the Teddy Bear Museum.

 

 

Meanwhile…

 

 

Hyukjae had finally ended the call. He looked at the place wherein Eunhye was playing but he spotted none. Sweats were dripping from his forehead and he became very nervous. He looked around the vicinity but he couldn’t find his daughter.

 

He left the queue to look for his daughter. He started by yelling Eunhye’s name.

 

“Eunhye! Eunhye!” 10 minutes had passed since he started searching but he couldn’t find his daughter anywhere near the museum.

 

“Co-Could it be that she was… k-k-kidnapped?” Hyukjae started to get nervous.

 

He searched the place near the museum and he saw a commotion going on. In curiosity, he walked towards the crowd. But before he was able to get in the crowd, he saw Eunhye being carried by a familiar foreigner.

 

“Eunhye!” Hyukjae ran towards her daughter. The foreigner, Aiden, release Eunhye from his grasp and let the girl run towards her father. “Where have you been? I’m so worried about you.”

 

“I don’t know daddy. I’m so scared daddy! I don’t want to lose you again!” Eunhye cried on Hyukjae’s shoulder. He just let his daughter cry.

 

“It’s alright, it’s alright. Daddy’s here now.” Hyukjae continued on consoling his daughter.

 

Hyukjae looked at the two foreigners in front of him and he remembered them.

 

 **“Ah! Miss Jenica! Are you the one who found my daughter?”** The person being asked nodded her head. **“Thank you very much! And oh, I haven’t introduced myself to you yet. I’m Hyukjae Lee.”**

 

 **“Hyukjae Lee. Nice meeting you again.”** Jenica smiled. **“Oh, and this one is my forever best friend, Aiden. He’s also a Lee.”**

 

Aiden offered a handshake and Hyukjae gladly accepted.

 

 **“Nice to meet you, Aiden.”** Hyukjae said.

 

 **“Me too.”** Aiden countered. **“You have such nice lips.”** Aiden added while staring at those red and juicy plump lips. Aiden, by reflex, licked his lower lip, as if he was seducing him.

 

Hyukjae didn’t know what to say so he just nodded his head.

 

 **“By the way, are you going to the museum too?”** Jenica asked.

 

 **“Yes. But I haven’t bought our tickets yet.”** Hyukjae said.

 

 **“Let’s buy our tickets together, then!”** Jenica happily said. She insisted on paying their fee and Hyukjae became shy after that.

 

After 3 minutes or so, they had finally got their tickets. They went inside the museum. Hyukjae tightened his grip on his daughter’s hand. He’s afraid that she might get lost again. He didn’t want that to happen.


	6. Jeju Island Part C

**“Whoa! This place is so beautiful!”** Jenica was totally shocked when they stepped inside the museum. Jenica was totally addicted to teddy bears and pandas, aside from being an avid fan of Asians. **“There are so many cute bears here! Kyaaaaa! Look Aiden, that bear was taller than you!”**

 

Aiden looked at the teddy bears, but since he was not a fan of teddy bears, he found the place kinda boring. **“Yeah, it’s BEARy interesting.”**

 

 **“You’re not fun at all, Aiden.”** Jenica countered. She looked at Eunhye, who was totally engrossed in viewing the teddy bears inside, and came closer to her.

 

“넌 장난감 곰을 좋아? (Do you like teddy bears?)” Jenica asked the kid in Korean. Jenica learned a few Korean phrases before coming to Jeju.

 

“Yes! I do like teddy bears!” Eunhye vigorously nodded her head. Eunhye’s face was really cute. “Unnie likes bears too?”

 

Jenica nodded her head, even though she can’t fully understand the little one. But she had a clue on what the little girl was talking about because of the familiar words that Eunhye uttered.

 

The two girls happily roamed inside the museum and the two boys had decided to let the girls had their own fun time and bonding. Which in result, the two men had to sit on the bench with an awkward atmosphere.

 

 **“Hey,”** Hyukjae decided to break to painful awkwardness. Aiden looked at Hyukjae and gave him a toothless smile. **“How long have you been here in Korea?”**

 

 **“This is just our first day.”** Aiden said while extending his arms, holding the back rest behind Hyukjae. **“My best friend and I went to Paris first. We stayed there for 3 days and went here.”**

 

 **“Paris? I went to Paris last week, too!”** Hyukjae smiled with his gums showing, and Aiden had been blown away by that. He never would have thought that a guy’s smile can be alluring. **“The city was so beautiful, don’t you think?”**

 

Hyukjae looked at Aiden in the eyes and his gummy smile was never leaving his face.

 

 **“Y-yeah.”** Aiden looked at his lap because he really found that smile alluring.

 

The two continued on getting to know each other by telling their personal life stories. And even though Hyukjae was struggling in speaking English, he tried his best to become confident and deliver the words with pure confidence even though his grammar was not that good. Aiden could understand if Hyukjae was not good at speaking the language. At least he could understand what Hyukjae wanted to imply to him. And that’s good enough for him.

 

The other two had finally finished their strolling and they really had so much fun. Eunhye told everything she saw to her father. Jenica showed the pictures that he managed to capture to the two boys.

 

…

 

 **“Hey Hyukjae, here’s the picture of you and Aiden.”** Jenica gave the copy to Hyukjae. **“Kyaaa! The two of you are so cute together!”**

 

Hyukjae almost got choked the food he was eating and Aiden just cleared his throat.

 

 **“I’m really happy to get to know you Hyukjae and Eunhye.”** Jenica looked at the sleeping kid on Hyukjae’s shoulder. **“She’s really a good daughter. Sleep tight, angel.”**

 

 **“Ahhh, it’s so sad that we will part today.”** Hyukjae said with a pout. **“I’m really glad that we get to know the two of you.”**

 

 **“You’re making me cry, Hyukjae!”** Jenica faked a sob while Aiden was just smiling. **“I wish we could see each other again.”**

 

 **“Let’s get in touch in cyworld and naver.”** Hyukjae said, not knowing that cyworld and naver were not really used by foreigners.

 

 **“Cyworld? Naver? What’s that?”** Aiden curiously asked. **“Let’s just chat in facebook or twitter.”**

 

 **“O-okay.”** Hyukjae smiled at him.

 

 **“Hey, let’s have a not-yet-a-family-but-someday-we-will-become-one picture!”** Jenica childishly suggested. Aiden and Hyukjae laughed at Jenica’s childish behavior.

 

After the picture taken by a passerby, it’s time for the foreigners to depart.

 

 **“We will surely miss you! Come back here anytime soon, okay?”** Hyukjae said.

 

 **“Yes, we will!”** Jenica said while waving her hand. Aiden was just staring at Hyukjae. **“Bye Hyukjae! Try to visit us in US! And bring Eunhye with you!”**

 

 **“Yes, I will try! And I’ll surely bring her with me.”** Hyukjae said. **“Bye Jenica, Bye Donghae!”**

 

**“Bye!”**

 

…

 

 **“Wait a minute,”** Jenica said while entering the cab. **“Hyukjae called you as Donghae! Donghae?”**

 

 **“Oh, it’s nothing.”** Aiden said but his toothless smile never leave his face. Jenica looked at him as if she would never ever believe his words. Seeing that kind of disapproving look, Aiden just heaved a sigh. **“It’s nothing, really.”**

 

 **“Hey, don’t be like that, Aiden! We’re best friends, right?”** Jenica tried to push her luck more, but failed nonetheless. Aiden just smiled at her and look at the window to see the view.

 

While looking at the view, he couldn’t help but to remember the things that he and Hyukjae talked about inside the Teddy Bear Museum.

>  
> 
> **“Hey Hyukjae, I have a question.”** Aiden asked in pure curiosity. Hyukjae just raised his eyebrows signaling for the other to continue. **“How do you say East Sea in Korean?”**
> 
>  
> 
> **“East Sea? Why?”** Hyukjae just asked question instead of answering. Well, he was curious why Aiden asked the meaning of that word.
> 
>  
> 
> **“Well,”** Aiden sighed, **“I live in the western part of the world, right? So I presume that this country is located in the East. And I was really amazed by the sea surrounding this island. So, yeah. That’s basically it.”**
> 
>  
> 
> **“Hmm, you’re very interesting Aiden.”** Hyukjae smiled, but it was replaced by a worried one when he realized what he had said. **“I mean, you’re weird in a good way and-”**
> 
>  
> 
> Aiden laughed at Hyukjae’s expression. He’s really cute when he’s like that.
> 
>  
> 
> **“Well, I get it, I get it.”** Hyukjae just sighed.
> 
>  
> 
> **“Donghae.”** Hyukjae said.
> 
>  
> 
> **“Huh?”**
> 
>  
> 
> **“Donghae. That’s the translation of East Sea in Korean.”** Hyukjae immediately said to divert the topic. One thing that Hyukjae learned about Aiden, is that the latter loves to tease.
> 
>  
> 
> **“It’s pretty good! If I have a Korean name, then I’ll be Donghae!”** Aiden said.
> 
>  
> 
> **“Then I’ll call you Donghae, from now on.”** Hyukjae said again without thinking or processing the words he should utter. Then he began defending himself again while Aiden started to tease him again.

 

 **“Earth to Aiden! Are you still here? Hello?”** Jenica called Aiden for the nth time. Aiden finally heard Jenica.

 

 **“Oh, hi.”** Donghae smiled sheepishly.

 

 **“What are you thinking about, huh Aiden?”** Jenica teased his best friend.

 

 **“It’s nothing. I just found him interesting.”** Aiden said.

 

 **“Oh really.”** Jenica’s expression was priceless. Her face was saying ‘love’.

 

 **“Hey! Stop teasing me!”** Aiden stated. And that’s how he and Jenica start bickering again.


End file.
